Video bloggers ready to incite 'media revolution'

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Vlogging, as a medium, is only a couple years old. When Mefeedia, an online directory of video bloggers, started tracking numbers in December 2004, it listed only a few dozen vlogs. And one year ago, in June 2005, there were only about 100 video bloggers, according to Mefeedia founder and video blogging pioneer Peter Van Dijck.

Today, however, Van Dijck estimates that there are between 5,000 and 10,000 active video bloggers. Mefeedia has 7,315 video blogs in its directory and also has about 25,000 subscribers, said Van Dijck, a New York City resident who envisions a day soon when video blogs can be accessed alongside regular TV channels.

Even the Vloggercon numbers are indicative of the growing video blogging movement. The first Vloggercon, which took place in New York in January 2005, was attended by about 80 people. This year's event, which runs from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, will host more than 300 people. While there are no more tickets available, sessions will be streamed on the Web and there are also outside events and parties to attend.

The growing numbers have been fueled of late by improvements in broadband, software and hardware. Another major factor was the release last October of the first video iPod and the subsequent hosting of video podcasts on Apple Computer's iTunes online store.

And consumers have become increasingly comfortable with watching video online, in part because of the exploding number of video-hosting sites such as YouTube, which now lets users set up their own profiles and network with one another based on similar interests.

In video blogging, however, viewers aren't tied to a hosting site. And while the lines between posting on YouTube, vodcasting and vlogging can be blurry, vloggers distinguish their format by noting the regularity of content and the consistent interactive community following built via Really Simple Syndication (RSS).

For now anyway, video bloggers aren't making money on their work, though that could be changing. Rocketboom made blog history early this year by producing an ad spot that it auctioned off for $40,000 on eBay to ATM sales company TRM, according to several news accounts.

Others, like Geek Entertainment TV co-founder Eddie Codel, said that while he doesn't envision direct monetization for video blog content, the blog has led him to other paid work that helps pay the bills.

Sandy, 51, emphasized that what video bloggers hope to do with their blogs varies as much as the vloggers themselves. What they have in common, however, is a passion for a medium in which anyone can be his or her own publisher.

"I've never gotten less sleep in my life and been happy about it," said Sandy, describing life since he started video blogging a year ago.

[canubelieveit]

Too Bad for Vloggers...

It's too bad that the move against Net Neutrality in Washington
could put an end to vlogging's potential life--just as it's
beginning...

I doubt that Vorizon, AT&T, and the others will want to help
vlogging along, since it could seriously hinder their cable/TV
business.

Get ready for the slow lane on vlogger data...

[Christopher King]

You got that right.

Oh, they are a heinous bunch; I posted on that a while back:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/04/save-internet-from-congress-and-major.html

Also, dig the NSA/Verizon and NAACP connection:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/05/verizon-nsa-and-naacp-ceo-bruce-gordon.html

We'll see w'happens next.

Peace.

[Christopher King]

As a legal video podcaster I am appalled.

The government oppression of Mr. Wolf must stop, just as surely as it must stop against me or any other citizen who in any way exposes government corruption. More on this shortly.

I have a background as a former editor and photojournalist for an Ohio weekly (Call & Post) and reporter at a daily (IndyStar) prior to law school, where I extensively studied Civil Rights.

Last week I issued a comment on Crime and Federalism on Mr. Wolf's arrest as being violative of all the principles of Journalism that pertain to the public's right to receive derivative information as protected by the reporter's right not to divulge protected sources. In fact I even pointed out that reporters who do divulge those sources are being sued under Promissory Estoppel, so they are now in fact whipsawed.

http://federalism.typepad.com/crime_federalism/2006/08/no_privilege_at.html

As you can see, I made my points by and through the example of one Judith Miller, of whom I am no great fan, which is wholly irrelevant when it comes to the privilege that must be afforded to the Fourth Estate in order for it to effectively serve its mission.

I applaud Mr. Wolf's pioneerism as one of the world's first video bloggers -- because I am, too:

I am the first and only lawyer to post actual court documents and courtroom footage of a First Amendment case involving a bad cop, and to host a video podcast site detailing such a case, at KingCast.net no less. We've had video up since spring of 1995.

KingCast.net is now joined by a sister site that also uses video to expose corruption, aptly named Justiceforkids.net. That's why Dvorak Uncensored links to me regarding Michael Gannon's arrest for video/audio taping a police officer in his own home!

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=5963

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/08/kingcast-sees-nashua-pd-finally-drop_04.html

In fact, I mention the Revolution specifically in one of my KingCast short films, specifically "Live Revolution."

And in a couple of blawg entries, such as this one:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/04/revolution-will-be-televised.html

Yesterday I discussed the Ohio Supreme Court, eminent domain and property rights:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/08/kingcast-applauds-ohio-supreme-court.html

Peace.

[Christopher King]

Ooopsy.

Forgot this:

They have not managed to lock me up, as I noted in my "prisonblog" segments as I note at the bottom of this post:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/03/rollin-or-sold-down-river.html

Wherein I say exactly what Mr. Wolf must be thinking:

"They wanna' lock me up? I'll start "prisonblawg" since all you need is a damn phone to blawg anymore, and like Attica, we'll foment a damn bloody insurrection up in that [facility]; document abuses in real time, too. That's what I'm serving up; watch my movies, coming soon to a new website and... ahem..... server near you. Near everywhere."

And you can hear some of the phonecasts right here:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/01/what-people-are-saying-about.html

But they have tried to shut me down 7 times:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2006/04/naacp-trial-7-attempts-to-chill-first.html

http://kingcast.net and http://justiceforkids.net: You can have our videos when you pry our cold, dead hands....